I was 18 when my World War II compulsory National Identity Card ceased to be current. When I tried to use it as a voluntary piece of identification, the whole compulsory system had become so acutely unpopular that not even policemen would look at it. A new compulsory system that we each have to pay for will soon become as unpopular as the old system and the Poll Tax combined. Here in Spain compulsory ID cards are accepted. Officious unnecessary reference to them is still a real nuisance, but at least they are issued gratis. The system seems well run, but a glance at the Spanish press will show that compulsory ID cards have scarcely hampered terrorism, organised crime and large-scale illegal immigration. David Heigham, Madrid, Spain

Apart from the fact that it's just not a British thing, what scares me - especially with this control-freak government - is function creep. Apparently, there's nothing in the legislation that will prevent this. How much more information will we find stored on our card the next time it is swiped through a reader, informatoin that then finds its way into government computers? What, then, happens if, say, a law is changed to outlaw something, such as being gay? Suddenly, that information on your card is self-incriminatory, and you might as well be climbing down a ladder from a smashed window wearing a hooped jumper and a beret, bearing a bag with "swag" written on it. Those in support of this monstrosity might well think again. What is it about you that is innocent and above-board at the moment that could change at the whim of a government like this one? How much will you love your cherished ID card then? Andy Armitage, Whitland

I don't, as such, really have a problem with it. But I do not see why we should have to pay £93 for it. That's diabolical and indicative of this Government. They make error after error and want us to financially bail them out each and every time. It will not stop the influx of illegal immigrants because they won't have them in the first instance, and if they really want them they can just forge them. The thing we have to remember is that these people don't register anywhere. They just disappear. Jamal Osei-Bonsu, Watford

I think the idea of ID cards in a so-called democracy is disgraceful. It will do nothing to prevent terrorism; Spain has an established ID card system, yet they still suffered a devastating terrorist attack. Furthermore, its absolutely incredible that the Government would have the audacity to charge £93 for ID card which none of us want. But, as usual, the minority "do-gooders" and "safety fascists" are the ones that are heard in Downing Street. Chris Hale, Wolverhampton

I have no objection to ID cards and fail to undertsand why any law abiding citizen would have grounds to object. However I do object to paying for their introduction by means other than via my already heavy tax bill. Carl Gardner, Hartley Wintney

ID cards will be a huge waste of money with us, the taxpayers, having to pick up the bill in terms of doubled passport costs, huge IT costs, not to mention the costs to install the gear to check our biometrics against the cards. Add to that the fact that the tests are unreliable and not follproof. All in all, a huge expense for questionable benefits. I don't believe it will help one iota in tackling terrorism, and it just does not stack up on a cost/benefit analysis against fraud and immigration. Rich Cross, Leatherhead

Didn't the hikackers of 9/11 get legitimate passport and identities by using conterfeited documents? And if those same counterfetted documents were used, won't they also be issued with a legitmate ID card? Name and address withheld

If credit card companies will still accept applications by post and shops will still accept credit card payments over the phone, this will do nothing to prevent fraud. It is however a neat way of finger-printing and photographing the entire population, and making us pay for the privilege. Chris Harrison, Abingdon

No-one has yet managed to explain exactly how ID cards will help to combat terrorism. Since only UK citizens will carry them, yet tourists and other foreign visitors will still be allowed in the country, what does it prove? The ID cards of other countries do not carry biometric data and are easily forgeable - especially by those intent on wrongdoing. Anyone can pass themselves off as a national of any country at any time - and terrorists may be British citizens themselves. It might help prevent health tourism - but not much else. And there is absolutely no case for making it compulsory. Charles Southey, Colchester

I'm not in favour of the ID card system proposed by the Government. How do you actually prove who you are when you apply for an ID card? By using a driving licence? A passport? NI Number? NHS number? If these are secure enough to prove that you are who you say are, why not base the ID card scheme on them? If not, why use them as part of the identification process? All you end up with is a false sense of security in a system where someone with an existing forged identity can get an ID card with their biometrics on it but that refers to someone else's identity. Sounds like a forgers' and fakers' paradise to me - it gives their false papers even more credence with an official stamp of approval from the government. If I were a fraudster, £93 seems a cheap price to pay to buy a document that everyone will blindly trust. Ian Williams, Surbiton

I wouldn't spend £93 at a retail outlet for technology that doesn't work properly, so why would I want to buy dodgy kit from a government? I'm afraid I have no faith in statements of reassurance made by ministers - after all, how would they know? They're not experts in anything except, perhaps, politics. Before I trust them, I want to hear the technology experts themselves telling me identity cards will work. I'm not holding my breath... Hugh Tonks, Cambridge

It seems that we already have a document that verifies who we say we are. Increasingly we are obliged to carry it domestically. It's called a passport. Cannot it just be upgraded? The concern is that the very people who pose a threat to our security and our way of life stand next to us in bus queues, work alongside us or monopolise our social services and promote social tension and unrest have the same opportunity to apply for identity "legitimisation" as we do. Electronic tagging of the proletariate, which is effectively what this is, is the final chapter of the Orwellian prophecy. It’s just 23 years behind. Trevor Gorard, Warlingham

In Northern Ireland, for obvious reasons a security-conscious community, on our driving licences, we have two personal photographs, our surname, first name, date of birth and place of birth, expiry date of licence, personal signature, home address and, finally, the groups of vehicles which we are licenced to drive. Why should anyone, including the Governments, want anything more? This nonsense of ID cards is merely about total bureaucratic control and nothing else. And, incidentally, they will be a hellish bit more expensive than what we already pay for our licence. Gerry McCartney, Belfast